The present invention relates to a pushbutton switch or pushbutton-actuated slide switch which is capable of being engaged and disengaged by means of a heart cam comprising an engaging and disengaging curved path, and an engaging pin which is capable of being laterally deflected and longitudinally displaced in relation thereto, and is capable of being combined with further switches, in particular of the same type, to form a pushbutton assembly.
Switches comprising these conventional heart cams serving as detent means, are designed as individual pushbuttons with individual release for the on-off switching and may be combined to form pushbutton assemblies.
Pushbutton switches or pushbutton-actuated slide switch assemblies are also known, in which the individual pushbutton switches, if so required, are capable of being engaged and disengaged either individually or in common with the aid of a common disengaging rail or engaging flap. In this way several pushbutton keys can be depressed simultaneously or one at a time in turn, and quite depending on the detent mechanism, either several or all pushbuttons can be released simultaneously either by a special key or by one of the other keys.
It is the object of the present invention, amongst others, to design switches with heart cams as detent means, in such a way that these switches can be used as pushbuttons with an individual engagement, and can also be designed in such a way that several can be switched simultaneously, in particular of being disengaged simultaneously.